Improvement-in carrying-braces and shoulder-straps



I 2Sheets --SheetI. 'G. HLPALMER. r Carrying Braces and Shoulder-Straps. P40151537.

Patented Dec. 8 ,1874.

THE GRAPHE'CO. PHOTO-LITHJQ Inf-l PIRK PLACE, Nil.

2Shee ts- Sheet 2. a. n. PALMER.

. Carrying Braces and Shoulder-Straps. N0 ]57,5'37, l Patented Dec .8,1874.

742? 6,710; 15212672 for.

UNITED GEORGE E. PALMER, OF MDNMOUTEI, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARRVlNG-BRACES AND SHOULDER-STRAPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 57,53fi', dated December 8, 1874 application filed September 25, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. PALMER, of Monmouth, of the county of Warren and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Carrying-Braces and Shouldergtraps, of which the following is a specifica- My invention relates to that kind of carryin braces and shoulder-straps in which a backpad and double shoulder-straps, two for each shoulder, in combination with other straps, are used, and for which back-pad and double shoulder-stra'ps, in combination with other straps and a waist-brace for the purpose of carrying a knapsack, a pack on the back, and a waistbelt, Letters Patent were granted to me of the date of June 10, 1873, and numbered 139,731, upon which invention the present device claims to be an improvement so far as relates to the manner of attaching the knapsack, haversack, and other articles to be carried to the said back-pad and double shoulder-straps.

My object in the present invention is to co inbine certain straps, loops, hooks, and buckles with the back-pad and double should er-straps,

for the purpose of supporting on the back and shoulders with ease and convenience without injury to the health of the wearer, without the necessity of having straps across the chest or around the body or waist, and to leave the body, waist, shoulders, and arms unconfined and free in their movements, such articles as bags and pouches carried at the sides, and rolls or packs carried at the back, and waist-belt with cartridge-boxes slung thereon; these articles being attached to the carrying-braces in such a manner as to equally distribute their weight in front and in rear of the shoulders and on the back, said carrying-bracesbeing designed for the use of soldiers in carrying a knapsack, haversack, blanket or overcoat, and waist-belt and cartridge-boxes and bayonetscabbard slung thereon, and also for the use of hunters and sportsmen in carrying a gamebag and ammunition-pouch at the sides, and blanket or coat on the back.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the carrying braces designed for carrying bags or pouches, or knapsack and haversack at the sides, a pack on the back, and to support a waist-belt with articles slung thereon. Fig. 2

is a perspective view of the carrying-braces.

with bags or pouches detached, showingthe coat or binding-straps attached to the backpad, and the manner of attaching to saidcoat or binding-straps the bearing-straps, which pass from the bottom of the roll or pack upward and forward, under the arms and hook or buckle, to the front ends of the shoulderstraps, for the purpose of retaining the pack on the back.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Fig. l, A represents the back-pad; B B, the double shoulder-straps; O G, the coat or binding straps for holding acoat or blanket. D are two (2) straps riveted to the lower edge of the back-pad, so as to turn on their fastenings, to, admit of their separating or being brought together. E is a double loop of metal or leather, fitting on the straps D, and may be moved up or down on said straps, either for the purpose of letting the straps D separate at their lower ends, or to bring them together. f f aremetal rings or Ds suspended on the front ends of the double shoulder-straps.- G G and H H are straps attached to the rings f f. 45 i are bags or pouches used as knapsack and haversack,

or as game-bag and aininuuition-pouch, having buckles or rings attached. by straps to each of their upper corners, by which they are detachably connected to the straps of the carrying-braces. The buckles on the rear corners of said bags or pouches receive the strapsl) on the back-pad. The buckles on the front corners of said bags or pouches receive the straps G G on the rings f j. J is the waist-belt, and K cartridge-boxes slung thereon. Z l are straps with buckles and loops, through which. loops the waist-belt J passes, into which are buckled the straps H H on the rings f r f, for supporting the waist-belt and cartridge-boxes and bayonet-scabbard slung thereon. The bags or pouches, being attached to the carrying-braces, are carried at the sides a little to the rear, the weight of the bag and its contents on one side being balanced by that on the opposite side. The bags are raised or lowered at the sides by taking up or letting out the straps D and G Gr. By sliding the double loop E downward on the straps D the bags are drawn together at the back out of the way of the arms, and at the same time changing the bearing of the weight on the back and shoulders to give ease to the wearer. 13y moving the double loop upward the bags are permitted to hang more to the front. The bags or pouches, being attached to the carrying-braces by their corners, in front as well as in rear of the shoulders, distribute their weight in front, in rear, and on top of the shoulders and back, and such distribution prevents the load carried from slipping backward or to the front, and the shoulders are not pulled backward, as they are where the load is all placed on the back instead of at the sides. The blanket or overcoat is carried on the back, in the binding-straps G G, and is balanced by the weight of the cartridge-boxes carried on the waist-belt in front, and supported by the straps H H. The waistbelt may be worn loosely or unelasped.

Fig. 2, O G are blanket or binding straps slung on metal rings attached to back-pad A. These straps bind and support on the backpad any pack which is to be carried at the back, either with or without carrying at the same time the bags at the sides. U U are straps, riveted so as to turn on their fastening, near the buckles on the straps O O, and so fixed to the straps O O as to have their riveted ends at the bottom of the pack. Being movable on their fastenin gs, they adjust themselves without twisting to any width at which the binding-straps may be placed, andcnable he pack to be carried with either kl le next the back without removing the binding-straps. They pass forward and upward from the bottom of the pack, under the arms, and their loose ends are hooked or buckled to the front ends of the shoulder-straps, for the purpose of bringing the bottom of the pack to bear on the front of the shoulders and retain it in place on the back.

The binding-straps O O are adapted to carrying any kind of a pack on the back. In other carrying-braces the bearing-straps, which pass from the bottom of the load carried to the front of the shoulder-straps, are attached directly to the knapsack or pack, instead of to detachable straps, as in the present case, and articles carried are packed in the knapsack or bag, while in this equipment the straps O C,

in connection with straps U U, are adapted to carrying any kind of a load without the use of bag or knapsack.

The bags or pouches being packed and attached to the carryingbraces, the coat or blanket strapped to the back-pad, the equipment is put on like a coat, by seizing the double shoulder-straps in the hands and swingin g the equipment round to the left. The right hand passing over the head, the left arm is slipped under the left shoulder-strap, and the right arm under the right shoulder-straps; the straps II II are then buckled to the straps l l, supporting the waist-belt.

In other carryingbraces, where a back-pad and double shouhler-straps are used, a waistbrace in connection with the waist-belt is used, and the knapsack or pack is carried on the back, and the haversack is disconnected from the carrying-braces. The said waist-brace passes around the body under the arms, and has a tendency to compress the chest, and the knapsack, coat, and blanket, being carried on the back, tend to pull the shoulders too much backward.

The present improvement obviates the necessity of having a waist-brace, and admits of having the knapsack and haversaek both carried at the sides and in combination with the carrying-braces, one balancing the weight of the other and bearing more equally on the shoulders and back, and drawing the shoulders less backward than they would if carried on the back.

In this equipment, haversack and knapsack or game-bag and ammunition-pouch are carried without having straps to cross and compress the chest.

But one or both bags may be carried at a time, or they may be carried with or without the pack on the back, or without the waist-belt. If the bags or pouches are worn without a waist-belt, straps with a buckle may be attached to the front upper corners of the bags and buckled in front of the body, for the purpose of drawing the bags to the front and to hold them more firmly in place.

.I do not claim as new the combination of a back-pad and double shoulder-straps, having received Letters Patent for such combination with a waist-brace; but

I claim as new and as my invention 1. The straps I), in combination with backpad A,-substantially as specified.

2. The combination of straps D and double loop E with back-pad A, substantially as specified, and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination of bags or pouches i t, straps D, and straps G G with back-pad A and double shoulder-straps B B, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

4. The combination of back pad A and double shoulder-straps B B with straps D. double loop E, bags or pouches 'i i, straps G G and H H, straps Z l, and waist-belt j, substantially as represented, and for the purposes set forth.

5. Bearing-straps U U, combined with coat or binding straps O G, substantially as specified, and for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination of bearing-straps U U and binding-straps G O with the back-pad A and double shoulder-straps B B, substantially as specified, and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of September, 1873.

GEORGE H. PALMER. Witnesses:

W. BARDENWERPER, J. BRI'ITAN. 

